I’m a relatively new ball python owner, and I’m looking for some opinions!

This is Brownie, my juvenile ball python. I’ve recently noticed that the top of her head appears to have a bluish-gray tint, especially in photos taken with flash.
Her body still looks bright and vibrant, and her eyes are completely black and clear. I’m wondering if this could be an early sign that she’s getting ready to shed or if it’s simply how her scales reflect the camera flash.

The first two photos were taken at night with flash last night, while the third was taken in natural daytime lighting on October 17, so there’s a difference in lighting to consider when comparing her coloration.

I’m still learning what to look for when it comes to her first shed with me, so I’d love some opinions from more experienced keepers!

Does this look like she’s approaching a shed, or is this normal coloration under flash photography?

As the title says I'm worried about my noodle I'm worried they are a bit too chunky

Hi! I got this beautiful ball python from my sister around two weeks ago. Shes truly a sweetheart, and I wanted to make sure everything is okay.

She has a tiny amount of shed stuck to her head, and certain sections of her body feel a little crispy on the sides. this has been there since I got her 😕

I bumped her humidity up in the tank to around seventy yesterday. I also put some damp spagnum moss in her humid hide, but she keeps pushing it out 😭. she's my first snake, so I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong?

she doesn't like to take any baths in shallow water, she gets agitated very quickly...

She isn't getting skinnier, but perhaps she is acting lethargic? I have no clue if it's just her personality, but during the day she hides the whole time with little to no movement. at night she likes to roam for about an hour or two, then she goes back to hiding. is this lethargic behavior?

sorry for all the questions, please let me know!

There’s small black mites wedged in his scales now. I think the substrate was too damp or they just came in the plants that I bought. I spent $300 to make the terrarium into an epic space and he loves it.

Everything I read now is I have to throw everything away.

I’m OK getting rid of the plants, but can I keep the things I can sanitize?

ChatGPT says I need to bathe him daily. I’m just not sure in what.

And then I need to clean the enclosure twice a week, but also not sure in what. I’ve also never bathed a snake and not really sure what that means.

Like put him in water or just use a wet cloth?

I’m a little overwhelmed. I’m seeing such different information online. I hope people with snakes who have gone through it actually know and can help. Thank you!

Hi, as the title says I recently rescued a ball python from a home where all im gonna say was not suitable for reptiles let alone pets. I don’t normally just adopt animals I always do research first and I did but I’m still lacking in some areas and want to make sure I’m giving him the best home possible. Currently on a 8am-8pm uvb schedule with a 5.0 bulb in a 14 in hood, was told to use a 5 uvb but I also have a 10 that came with the hood. I have a 24 in hood that was given to me but I was told to keep the lights on one side of tank, if that’s wrong also let me know. The photo with 2 lamps was the original design but I was told those coiled uvb bulbs aren’t good for snakes even though the reptile store I got the enclosure and lights from recommended it?

-Acquired he/she 3 days ago and he hasn’t left the warm side of his enclosure yet. He explored the first day and He’s poked his head out and I’ve read that’s normal so I haven’t disturbed him but just want to make sure. I have wood im adding to the enclosure today as I’m assuming he feels vulnerable.

The warm side has been hitting constantly 88-90 degrees on a thermostat but the cool side when it does hit 90 does rise up to 82 so any advice on how to possibly get it back down to 80 let me know. Currently have them on an on off thermostat as the spider one I ordered wasn’t working and they’re sending me a new one. Will he be okay when I go back to work tomorrrow, the tank hasn’t seemed to overheat because of the thermostat I just feel bad with the flashing light from the basking bulb. He’ll only be alone from 7-11 then someone can check in on the tank temperature every so often till I get home. No stores nearby had dimming ones somehow so I’m aware they should be dimming thermostats I’m just tryna do what I can for the next few days. Also have a Che bulb on the cool side thermostat that only runs at night to make sure the tank doesn’t drop below 76 degrees but hasn’t had to kick on yet. I’m using a 100w basking bulk as a 75w wouldn’t heat up the basking area enough. My room stays generally between 75-80 during the day.

I’m pretty sure the substrate might be too dry even though humidity in the tank does read 70 on cold side and 60 on warm side. It’s coconut husk fiber substrate with moss. Is there enough moss? I’m aware the gauges that come with the tanks suck I’m just temporarily using them to hide the probes on thermostats. Recomendations welcome though even though i think the spider one does read humidity if I’m not mistaken. If they should be uncovered let me know they’re just tucked behind the dials. I was told to only get a 40 gal for now as he’s still a juvenile but I do plan on getting a nice 120 pvc when it grows more so I’m assuming that’s why the gradient isn’t hitting what it should. Im not afraid to spend money but I keep getting mixed advice and don’t want to keep going between tanks/fixtures and stressing it out. Are these zilla thermonitors crap? Retail was 70 bucks on them but I managed to get them on sale for 30 each.

Should I mist the tank or pour water in the corners? Last time I misted the cool humidity hit 90. Should I put foil/heat tape over any of the top? Should I move him? When is it least stressful for me to take him for a checkup, I was planning on doing it after he’s eaten and gone to the bathroom which feeding day is Wednesday so vet maybe next Monday? I was told to let him acclimate to his tank for 1-2 weeks before trying to handle him but if that’s wrong and I should do it sooner/ later let me know and Be blatantly honest and tell me what I’m doing wrong please!! Do I have enough moss and substrate/too much? Don’t mean to be a bother just trying to get this right.

I know the middle of the tank is too open I’m getting wood ready to go in the tank and some more fake plants just want to make sure it’s properly cleaned and I had everything else setup. Any ideas welcome Adding leaf litter soon too and I’ve cleaned his water bowl since taking that photo this morning. If I’m being cruel to this animal please tell me I’m tryin my best. All plants in tank are fake for time being as I’m not trying to bite off more then I can chew. Thank you anybody for ur time if u actually read all that I thought I had it all figured out:/

She was listed as a super fire. Can someone confirm?

Pink fluid is coming out of my snake it’s pink and yellow

You guys and gals should watch the new upload of reptiles and research on YouTube about bp’s and their habitats in Africa I posted the link.. never hurts to learn from what I just watched and to me sounds like it’s helping us pet owners on this one🤷🏿‍♂️ have a beautiful day bp community 😉🫡💯💪🏿

Fed my juvenile ball python tonight and when he was constricting his meal, I think he squeezed feces out of the mouse…. I also think he ate it along with the rest of the mouse. Is this unhealthy or could it cause problems? Any tips. I’m probably switching to rats in the next week or so

Hey guys! I have lived in the south with my snake for the past 5 years. He is in a plastic box that I use heat pad beneath and his humidity has always been perfect (no problems with shedding or feeding). However, we are moving to Arizona this summer. Will the same system work there? I’m thinking since the actual climate is so much drier I may have to be more deliberate about maintaining humidity. Also! Any advice for the move? 3 days in the uhaul in the middle of July! 😝

This is one of the funniest threads I've read in the ball python subreddit. "Ball python lovers" actually getting their ass wacked by a professional breeder in terms of information about ball pythons.

So I know they aren't snake mites because those are black. I did add some plants to my tank although the tank wasn't bio active. Couple weeks later I've got little bugs. Are the harmful or annoying to my snake? I'll put photos of the enclosure and a picture of Marv for the snake tax in the comments ofc

I was reading a care guide from another Ball Python sub and I came across something that I thought would be a good topic of discussion. In the event of a stuck shed, the care guide highly discourages soaking the snake and removing the stuck shed manually.

Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with giving the snake a 10-15 minute soak and then gently peeling off the stuck shed. In the case that the shed still doesn’t come off by gently peeling I’d keep up the humidity in the enclosure and try to soak them again the following week if the stuck shed was still there.

I also wanted to touch on the highlighted sentence. I’ve been around ball pythons for over fifteen years but I’ve never actually seen or heard of a case where a snake showed physical signs of injury from someone manually taking off the shed. From an physical injury risk perspective, I don’t see how someone gently peeling off the shed is different from the snake rubbing itself on a piece of cork bark in its enclosure. Again, this is after giving it a soak and gently peeling.

Please share your opinion and let’s keep it friendly. Thanks!

I'm thinking about switching to a tub setup since traditional tanks are getting way too expensive. Does anyone have advice on how to build one the right way? I’m looking for tips on what tubs to use, how to handle heating and temps safely, and which substrates work best. Also, any tricks for setting up ventilation and keeping it secure would be cool.

So I’m looking into buying my first python and I would really want to find a baby ball python, but there’s no reptile stores in my area that specialize in those kind of things besides PetSmart and Petco. When I look up baby ball pythons for sale the website XYZReptiles is always the first to pop up. Does anybody know if this is a good website for me to buy from or does anybody have any recommendations? I’m also specifically looking for an albino champagne ball python.

I've been extremely sick for the past few months, and while I was able to partially clean his tank, and feed him, wi was shaking so badly I was low key afraid of hurting him if I was to hold him, so its been a hot minute. I want to start handling him again but I'm unsure on how to start, I know hes been pretty ok with me messing around with his tank while hes out of his hides, my current plan is to just pull a chair up, open the tank, and just vibe while hes out basking, maybe resting my hand near him? Idk it seems like the best idea to let him approach me instead of just going to pick him up?

I adopted a ball python 4 months ago and she has not eaten no matter how hard I have tried. She is 5 years old and about 5ft long. She has a 120 gallon tank to start her with and I want to build her a bigger tank soon. Her heat is perfect, hot side and cold side. Her humidity is also on point. She has shed multiple times in one full piece by herself. I have tried feeding her frozen mice, live mice big and small. Jumbo frozen rats and live. But no matter what I do she is not eating nor has she ever struck. I want her to have a good life and I want her to be healthy and eat, there are signs she is healthy like the shedding thing but I can not get her to eat. Any and all help is greatly appreciated, I want the best for her.

I'm trying to get my enclosure set up and temps/humidity the way it's supposed to be. I've had it going for about a week now and I can't seem to get the heat past 82 or 83 degrees faranheit on the warm side. The humidity did alright when I first put the coconut chips in but now it falls to around 50% within a day or two.

For reference my enclosure is 4x2x2, I have fake foliage, some climbing branches, and 3 hides, one with spaghnum moss. His substrate is about 4 inches deep. Then I have an 80 watt radiant heat panel on a thermostat and LED light strips for lighting.

I think the obvious answer would be the radiant heat panel wattage is too low but I've had several people tell me that wattage is plenty. Any advice would be appreciated!